


The Borrowed Cloak

by blustersquall



Series: Cullen Rutherford x Nevena Trevelyan [4]
Category: Dragon Age, Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age - Various Authors, Dragon Age Inquisition - Fandom, Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-12
Updated: 2014-12-12
Packaged: 2018-03-01 03:05:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,440
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2757200
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blustersquall/pseuds/blustersquall
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Cullen loans Nevena the use of his cloak when he finds her dozing at her desk.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Borrowed Cloak

Cullen paused on the climb to the Inquisitor's chamber, resting his hand against the wall and reconsidering for perhaps then twelfth time whether or not he should be visiting her in her private rooms. After all, they _were_ hers and she had never invited him to visit her there. Not to mention, if any of their companions or the soldiers had seen him visit... there would be talk.

They were worse gossips than a gaggle of fish wives.

On the other hand, he reasoned, he and Nevena got on well enough, and his reason for visiting was innocent and about business. He was her advisor as well as Commander, and their time together was often so brief, he couldn't always discuss with her all the matters that needed attention. At least in her chambers it was secluded and quiet, and there would be no interruptions.

Steeling himself and taking a deep breath, Cullen squared his shoulders and continued the short climb up the stairs.

Unlike his own rooms, everything necessary in Nevena's were on the same level. No ladders to climb up. She had a bathing area in one corner blocked off by a folding partition, several large windows which gave a view out onto the courtyard and landscape beyond. Her bed was the centre piece of the room, spacious and tucked along the back wall. She also had a desk and a few bookshelves along the walls near the fireplace and in the corner either side of her bed, wardrobes.

None of the rooms or living chambers of Skyhold were particularly lavish, everything was sparsely decorated but the Inquisitor's room was probably the most richly made up.

He found Nevena at her desk, not pouring over books as perhaps he imagined she would have been. Rather she was sprawled over them, fast asleep snoring gently. Her blonde hair splayed around her in loose waves across her shoulders and on the open pages of the books around her. Her arms were folded, her cheek laying on her hands creating some kind of pillow, though not a comfortable one.

Immediately he turned to go, not wanting to disturb her. He would have no discussion with her tonight and he wasn't entirely surprised to find her asleep. She had been running herself ragged the past few days trying to accommodate everyone and deal with the various issues that had arisen and required her attention. He paused when something caught his eyes though and he stopped in his tracks.

The cover of a book, he noted the leather bound object was decorated with a rook and knight from chess and he lifted it away from the corner of the desk. He thumbed through the pages and took note of a few marks in the margins she had made.

His lips quirked in a small smile. They had played chess a few times and she had lost each time. He had no idea she had taken it upon herself to brush up on the game and he found that thought endearing. That she had been thinking of him was unexpected but in no way unwanted attention.

His curiosity piqued, Cullen perused a few of the other books within easy reach.

 _'Mixed Unit Tactics.'_ A book about mixing different fighting units and utilising them appropriate to turn the tide of battle.

 _'Histories Sudden Victories.'_ Detailed various battles and wars throughout history where the victor had used unusual or daring methods to change fights or wars to their advantage.

 _'Basic Field Tactics.'_ Spoke about the hazards of the battle field and what to do should a fighter find themselves alone or in enemy territory.

Other books were out of his reach, either covered by her torso or her hair was on them and he didn't want to risk waking her. He replaced the books he had looked at where he had found them, smiling to himself.

One of the shutters to the windows slammed back against the wall, startling Cullen and causing Nevena to jerk in her sleep. He waited for a few seconds to see if she would awaken fully from the noise. When he was certain it was safe, he crossed to the windows and quickly closed and locked them securely to block out the wind and cold from outside. Skyhold was an impressive place, but it was not warm, especially at night when the winds were high, even with fires blazing.

He looked vaguely around for a blanket, something to wrap around Nevena's shoulders. She needed to keep warm and sitting in her loose clothing at the desk wasn't going to cut it in the long term, if she stayed there all night. The only object he could consider covering her with was the duvet from her bed. He had the option of rifling through her wardrobes to find something, a cloak perhaps, to cover her with, but the mere thought of that caused his stomach to plummet to his feet, and a warmth to rise on his cheeks. That would be invading her privacy, something he had no intention of doing.

Being in the room with her as she slept was awkward enough.

He decided to use what he had and quietly shrugged out of his maroon and gold cloak, the fur pauldrons ruffling against his skin as he pulled his arms from the holes. His own body heat had warmed the cloth and would at keep her at least a little warmer for now.

He hoped so, at least, as he draped the cloak around her, the pauldrons practically covering her face. She was almost dwarfed by the size of his own clothing.        She was small, not much taller than Sera slight in build; his clothing on her only seemed to make it more apparent.

Though, he had to admit, she looked endearing in his cloak. A sight he wouldn't mind seeing all the time. Nevena, draped in the long coat with the pauldrons around her slim shoulders.

And nothing else.

The thought came upon him unbidden and without provocation, and Cullen was glad no one else was around to see the heat bloom on his cheeks at it. He left swiftly, trying to banish any further thoughts of the Inquisitor naked in his clothing from his mind.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The following morning, Cullen paced across the courtyard towards the training dummies and the recruits who were to take up sword that day. Cassandra and Blackwall were already there, putting them through their paces, warming them all up against the cold.

He had not yet seen Nevena, though it wasn't unusual for him to only catch glimpses of her through the day and only truly see her when they were together in the war room, she was often busy elsewhere, dealing with other things and other people. Still, he carried with him a book that he wanted to give her at some point that day, something that he hoped she would find useful to her learning.

"Commander," Cassandra greeted him with a curt nod, always polite and professional in front of recruits.

He returned her greeting and stood away, always taking time to observe recruits before joining in with the training. Something he had picked up from his sword master when he had been a Templar recruit. It was good to observe, to see what they had retained from the day before.

As he circled the small group, his eyes trained and fixed on any issues or sloppiness that needed to be addressed, his gaze faltered when he spotted the familiar colours of gold and maroon flapping against the wind.

He had expected his cloak returned by hand, but to see Nevena wearing it cinched in around her small waist with a leather belt was beyond his imagination. If she had looked endearing when she had been draped in it, wearing it she looked stunning. Stealing the very breath from his lungs as she walked across the yard with Varric, her blonde hair loose and the pauldrons tucked up around her cheeks.

She spoke easily with the dwarf, but when her eyes met his across the open space, she said something to him and he disappeared towards the Keep.

As she approached, Cullen left the recruits for a minute. He could have sworn she walked with more confidence in her gait with his clothing around her. She looked more self-assured too, her tips curved into an almost teasing smile when she stopped in front of him.

"Inquisitor," he greeted, his voice too husky for his liking. He cleared his throat, hoping she would put the rose in his cheeks down to the cold morning.

"Good morning, Commander." Her smile increased, "you look different today."

"Do I?" He replied. She put him at ease immediately with the lilt in her voice and the clear game she intended to play.

"Mhm, something is missing." She tilted her head, perched her chin on a hand and looked him up and down very deliberately. "I can't put my finger on what it is though..."

He chuckled, "am I looking thinner? My mother always said I sometimes looked too thin."

"No," Nevena rocked back on her heels, "not that. You're definitely missing some fuzz around your cheeks though." She licked her lips, dampening them against the chill of the air, "thank you for the loan of your coat."

Cullen's smile increased and he hoped he didn't look as foolish as he felt, grinning like a love struck school boy. "You're very welcome, my Lady." He watched her beginning to unbuckle the belt which held the fabric to her waist.

Maker, he wanted to replace her fingers with his. Fumble with the leather, with the buckles, have her pushed up against the wall and his hands snaking under her shirt against her soft skin. Glide his fingers across the expanse of her abdomen and ribcage. His mouth on hers, hot and breathless and demanding.

He wanted her shirt gone, pulled roughly over her head and discarded on the floor. He wanted her breeches anywhere else but on her legs. He wanted her trembling, and the sound of her uneven breaths in his ear. He wanted the knowledge that every moan and each sound of pleasure she made was because of him _._ He wanted her naked, and blushing and _begging_ him to take her.

She eased the pauldrons off her shoulders and down her arms with - he was certain - deliberate slowness. His clothing suited her that was clear, but his cloak would suit her so much more in his chamber with nothing underneath it.

"Here," she handed the item back to him and Cullen swallowed hard at the lump that had risen in his throat. "I admit, I was surprised to wake up with it around me. Did you visit me for something specific?"

Cullen cleared his throat, trying to see beyond the visions his imagination had conjured. "Just to discuss tactics, my Lady. Nothing urgent." He remembered the book in his hands and almost let it slip from his grasp as he groped for it, "you might find this useful. I couldn't help but notice your reading material last night." He handed it to her.

Their fingers brushed as she took it from him and he couldn't deny the tingle of electricity he felt. She turned the book over in her hands and read the title. "Thank you," she smiled at him, "I'll add this to my growing reading list."

"You're welcome." Pulling his cloak on, Cullen could feel her warmth still in the fabric, and her scent wafted around him. Lavender and roses, a fragrance from her soap or from what she used to wash her hair. There was something else too, something with a deeper scent, like worn leather, that complimented the floral tones well.

"I slept in it, I hope you don't mind." Nevena suddenly blurted out, looking surprised at her own admission. Cullen paused in the buckling of his belt around the clothing. "That sounded better and less strange in my head." Nevena added, rubbing her fingers across her temple, "what I meant was that I woke up too tired to change completely and just... curled up in your cloak in bed. It's a lot warmer than I would have thought. I'm not surprised you wear it so much."

"I..." Cullen blinked several times trying to process her words and think of how best to respond. He was also trying to understand the meaning of _'too tired to change completely'_. Did that mean she slept in her clothes and his cloak or... had she managed to change _out_ of her clothes but not into her night things and consequently slept in his cloak and nothing else?

He couldn't very well ask her to clarify and his mind was immediately racing with imagery that would have made even the most passionate of men blush.

"Well... that's... I'm glad you made use of it." He said slowly, trying to push the thoughts of the blonde woman rolling around naked in his clothes to the back of his mind.

Her lips quirked into a small, embarrassed grin. "Well, now that I have suitably made an arse of myself - Maker, how you are always the one to witness my ineptitude, I will never know - I'm going to go and... do something Inquisitor-y. I'm sure you have things to do."

"Yes," Cullen laughed a little at her sudden uneasiness, as if the removal of his clothing had taken away the veneer of confidence she had worn too. "Perhaps you should come by later, if you're not busy. We can have a game of chess and I can discuss with you what I meant to last night."

His offer seemed to put her at ease her a little, and her shoulders visibly relaxed. "That would... I would enjoy that, thank you." The smile she gave him caused his insides to squirm pleasurably, and his knees went a little weak. "Commander."

Cullen snatched her hand as she turned to go stopping her in her tracks. He pressed his lips to her skin gently for a few seconds. Her cheeks were red and her eyes wide when he lifted his head and gazed at her fervently for several seconds too long, brushing his thumb across her knuckles. "My Lady." He turned quickly, wanting to get the last word in and returned to the recruits.

He saw her still there a few seconds later when he glanced over, still breathless and a little dazed. Only when a voice from inside the Keep called her, did her senses return and she disappeared from his sight.


End file.
